Hollow wall and plates for its construction



J. C. P. LEEMHUIS Feb. 16, 1937, I

HOLLOW WALL AND PLATES FOR ITS CONSTRUCTION Filed April 22, 1956 2 U m m W 1 J a MLIANMNIF\W\ 4 v 8 3 Patented Feb. 16 1937 PAT NT OFFIC HOLLOW W'A LL AND PLATES FOR ITS CONSTRUCTION Johannes Cornelis' Pieter Leemhuis, Johannesburg, Union of South Africa, assignor to Edward James Donaldson,

Application Johannesburg, South Africa April 22, 1936, Serial No. 75,826

In Union of South Africa January 29, 1936 7 Glaimst. (01. 72-16) The present invention relates to hollow walls comprising spaced inner and outer faces formed of pre-cast plates and to the construction of such plates.-

An object of the invention is to provide a wall construction which enables strong ,and rigid walls to be erected rapidly in a simple and economical manner. a

According to the invention, a hollow wall is built up of plates arranged to form an inner vertical face and an outer vertical face with a cavity between them and the inner surfaces of the plates of the opposite faces are provided with vertical pillar sections adapted .to interlock with ihe corresponding pillar sections of the opposite ace. v

One form of wall construction according to the invention is illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawing in which:

' Figure I is a perspectiveview of the inner side of a plate.

Figure II is a perspective view of a wallbuilt upof plates of the kind shown in Figure I.

Figures III, IV and V show arrangements of the plates at the junction of two walls.

The plate 2 shown in Figure I is formed of pre-cast concrete or the like and is provlded'with vertical pillar sections .3 across its ends and vertical pillar sections 4 running close together across its middle. The pillar sections 3 and 4 are flat topped in a planeparallel to the'front surface of the plate and their sides 5 are sloped outwardly from the plate 2 so as to'provide a wedging action to be described later. The end surfaces 6 provided by the plate and its pillar sections 3, are. however, made square with the front surface of the plate.

It will be seen that due to their tapering fo tion the end pillar sections 3, 3 of two plates in one course I {Figure II) are pressed to ether between the middle pillar sections 4, 4 of the opposite plates forming another course 8 when the ,wall is built up. In this way the opposite layers of plates interlock with each other and resist longitudinal displacement. At the same time the pillar sections], 4 fit one above the other to form vertical pillars which stiflen the wall structure:

they also serve to space the layers I and 8 and thereby provide cavities 9 between said layers.

Ribs l and II which are-provided perpendicularly to the pillar sections 3, 4 and Join the pillar sections 4 but not the pillar sections 3, serve to stiffen and strengthen theplates. A groove l2 is'provided in the plate where it is thickened by The tongue 13' is made of greater height than the groove l2 so that when said tongue is engaged by said groove a space for pointing remains between the bottom edge 95 of the one plate and upper edge it of the other plate as shown at the left-hand edge of Figure II. Similar spaces may be left between the plates in a vertical direction for pointing, by providing grooves at the vertical edges of the plates.

The ribs in and II extend from the pillar sections 4, 4 alongthe plate 2- but end at a short distance from the end pillar sections 3 so that they do notobstruct the middle pillar sections of the plates of the opposite face when the plates the pillar sctions 3 and 4 at the positions shown and when the plates are in position pins ii of metal or other suitable "material are inserted into the holes. The pins act as keys to ensure the wedging action between the tapering surfaces of the pillar sections of opposite plates. This is shown by thebroken away part of Figure II. The holes iii are so arranged that the plates are adapted for erection with the horizontaljoints of one face I staggered with relation to the horizontal joints in the other face 8. i, In erecting the wall therefore one course I, as shown in Figure II, is started with plates having about half the height of the other plates. The plates in the main body of the two layers are all identical with one another and of any suitable standard size. The vertical joints in one face are likewise staggered with relation to the vertical joints in the other face.

At an external corner of the building a rounded-off quoin l8 may be provided as shown in Figure III or alternatively an external plate in. of one wall may be extended to lap the end of the wall at right angles to it as shown in Figure IV. In thelatter case bolts iii are passed through the extension of the plate of the one wall and through the pillar sections at the ends of the plates of the other wall. Certain of'the plates employed at the ends of the walls are of non-standard length so as to provide a suitable junction between the walls. The quoin i8 is reduced in thickness at and grooved at 2| to receive the pillar-sections mat the ends of the outside plates. The pillar sections 3;: are formed on extensions of the end plates so that the pillar sections 3bclose em (which are normally at the end of the pla are free to be engaged by the pillar section 8 of the inner plate. 'I'he'end plates and the quoin ll ternal wall may be pre-formed to receive the framing of a window 24. A door frame may be fixed in place partly by its architraves 26 and by screws 21 or the like forced into plugs 28; said plugs being adapted to fit the holes lfi' in the pillair sections of the plates. In forming openings for windows, doors or the like, certain of the plates surrounding the opening are made of nonstandard height or length for forming the straight sides of the opening.

I claim:

1. A hollow wall composed of two spaced faces, each constructed of plates, the plates of one face being horizontally staggered relatively to those of. the other face, each plate being formed in its inner side with an integral vertical pillar section toward each horizontal endand inte'rmedL ately with a pair of spaced vertical pillar sections embracing the adjacent end pillar sections of a pair of horizontally contiguous plates of the opposite face and thereby forming a pillar, the sections of which provide sets of alined holes extending horizontally lengthwise of the wall, and pins passed through such sets of holes.

2. A hollow wall composed of two spaced faces each constructed of several courses of plates with the courses staggered vertically in the respective faces said plates being formed on their inner sides with integral vertical pillar sections said pillar sections being assembled to form pillars in which pillar sections of therespective faces overlap one another in the direction of the thickness of the wall, each pillar section being provided with at least two holes extending horizontally lengthwise of the wall and the holes of the different pillar sections alining with one another in sets in the pillar, and pins passed through such sets of alined holes.

3. A hollow wall composed of two spaced faces, each constructed of several courses of plates having .on their inner sides integral vertical pillar sections each equal in height to the effective height of the plates and of uniform horizontal cross-section, the pillar sections being assembled in pillars in which pillar sections of the respective faces overlap one another in the direction of the thickness of the wall and provide in each pillar a plurality of sets of alined holes extending horizontally lengthwise of the wall, and pins in said sets of holes. I

4. A hollow wall composed of two spaced faces, each constructed of several courses of plates with the course staggered vertically in the respective faces, said plates having on their inner sides integral vertical pillar sections, each equal in height to the effective height of the plates, the pillar sections being assembled in pillars in which pillar sections of the respective faces overlap one another in the direction of the thickness of the wall and progide in each pillar a plurality of sets of alined holes extending horizontally lengthwise of the wall, and pins in said sets of holes.

5. A hollow wall composed of two spaced faces each havingan inner area composed of identically shaped plates, each plate formed on its inner side with an integral vertical pillar section towards each horizontal end and intermediately with a pair of vertical pillar sections spaced to embrace the two adjacent end pillar sections of horizontally contiguous plates of the opposite face, so that each assembled pillar consists of two pillar sections of one face and two pillar sections of the other face, and a number of pins passing horizontally and lengthwise of the wall through each pillar.

6. A wall building plate, comprising a plate havingon its inner face vertical pillar sections in-' tegral therewith and equal in height to the effective height of the plate, a single pillar section being provided at each end and a pair of pillar sections being provided intermediate the end pillar sections and spaced apart suitably to embrace the end pillar sections of two horizontally adjacent plates, all said pillar sections having formed in them holes horizontally disposed in the direction of the length of the plates and positioned to align with those of other plates in an assembly of the plates.

7.-A building plate as claimed inclaim 6, in which each pillar section has formed in it two pin holes, one near the top of the plate and the other slightly below the centre of its height.

JOHANNES CORNELIS PIETER LEEMHUIS; 

